New pros take different paths to golfing careers

Kim Palaferri11 year old Raven Lewis keeps a watchful as she prepares to take a swing and make her target down the fairway

Todd MordhorstWinchester Country Club assistant pro, Brian Glosser was an accomplished skateboarder before discovering golf and eventually becoming a certified PGA professional.

Kim PalaferriKevin McDonell is on target as he gets a fun golf lesson from Phil Green, owner of Home on the Range in Newcastle

Kim PalaferriPhil Green

Kim PalaferriJason Huff takes his time and carefully hits the ball to make a connection with a human target, Stephanie Defour, Youth Development Specialist at Boys & Girls Club, in a lesson taught by Phil Green, owner of Home on the Range in Newscastle

Phil Green’s trip to Ireland got him hooked. For Brian Glosser it was an ankle injury that derailed a promising skateboarding career, which led to his current profession.
Green and Glosser followed wildly different paths, but both ended up in Port St. Lucie, Fla in April. And together, they endured the stress-filled process of becoming fully certified PGA professionals.
Green owns and operates Home on the Range, a cozy driving range in Newcastle. Glosser is the First Assistant Golf Professional at Winchester Country Club. The unlikely pair became good friends through the process of becoming certified pros and are now reaping the benefits of their hard work.
Green hosted the Boys and Girls Club of Auburn at his facility last week. Nearly 40 kids got to swing clubs, go through drills and get a taste of what Green discovered years ago as a young player.
“It’s a great game and it’s a good, safe way for kids to spend time,” said Green, who was inspired to open Home on the Range after a golfing trip to Ireland 18 years ago. “The big thing I want to do is get a lot of kids golfing. Hopefully now that I’m certified as a PGA pro, I can have more gumption and have some more pull for my programs.”
Green’s uncle, Nelson Hirst, is a teaching pro at Emerald Lakes in Elk Grove. Hirst was Green’s golfing mentor and inspired him to start the process of becoming a pro.
“Since I’ve been at the range I’ve been a pro, but I wasn’t recognized by any group,” Green said. “I always wanted to (get certified) and after doing some teaching I decided I should go do that. It just gives me a better standing when I’m working with students. That’s the thing I really like is getting kids swinging clubs that maybe wouldn’t be able to do it otherwise.”
Green said he’s working with E.V. Cain Middle School instructor Randy Ittner to start a golf program for the Wildcats. He’s hoping to start it up this fall.
Glosser didn’t have the experience of Green, but he caught up quickly. He zoomed through the second level of the PGA’s training so that he and Green could complete the final Level 3 course together.
“There are two days of actual testing and three days of seminar work,” Glosser said..”You do a presentation in front of the PGA board and a mock interview with a PGA board member. It’s really stressful, but we both nailed it, passed it, and then we played golf for about five days in Florida. We had a good time.”
The X Games seemed a more likely destination for Glosser some 10 years ago. He was an accomplished amateur skateboarder before badly injuring his ankle. His rehabilitation program included lots of golf. He started playing more and more and after working as a cart attendant at Rancho Solano, he decided to pursue a career in golf.
Glosser’s first job in a pro shop was at Auburn Valley Country Club, where pros Keith Lyford and Jamie Harper quickly recognized his potential.
“They told me to get into the PGA program,” Glosser said.
He followed their advice and after working at a couple of other courses in the area, landed a position at Winchester Country Club.
Glosser and Green still keep in touch and are looking forward to September, when they’ll both be on the course trying to qualify for the Fry’s.com Open. Each teaching pro in the region will have a chance to land one of three spots in the main field where, they would square off against PGA Tour pros.
“It will be a lot of fun to go out and be a part of it with Phil, see if we can qualify and then try to make the cut,” Glosser said. “I don’t expect it to happen, but that would be awesome.”